#InauguralReview #KeukaWineBarandKitchen by #OlgaSakhno and #OllieSakhno Since January 2025 #435East 86thStreet #UpperEastSide
It's time to say Bud'mo which is Cheers in Ukranian because Olga and Ollie Sakhno, wife and husband team have opened Keuka Wine Bar and Kitchen! Open since January 15, 2025, this hot new place in the best part of town, of course the Upper East Side, is named after the Finger Lakes in New York state and we applaud their enthusiasm for New York. We recently visited for the first time and this is the first time we ever met them; we spoke to Olga first initially on the phone and worked with Ollie in person.
In fact, the very first time we rang them up, Olga answered! This is what we are looking for: owners that are proactive and there in person and that take firsthand pride in their business. It is beyond us when restaurants here open today without even a phone number: this is not hospitality to us. Keuka Wine Bar and Kitchen is their first Manhattan restaurant and they spent from January 2024 to January 2025 renovating the space where they have 36 inside seats.
We began with The Beet of New York and just like the Go-go's, they've got the beat.
Roasted beets are nested in baby spinach and is topped with caramelized nuts.
For everyone that orders it normally, it is also topped with goat cheese.
However, they are reading and we asked if we might have it with another cheese instead.
For salads here, there are three protein choices: grilled chicken, grilled portobello mushroom and grilled chorizo.
We asked for the mushroom option and for the balsamic dressing on the side (as always).
Above is is presented standalone, and below is the Portobello application by Peachy Deegan.
Note that after sixteen years of doing this, it is much harder to earn an initial review than it was in the beginning and we like the attention to detail we see here in the food preparation.
Some places argue with you when you want to modify a menu in any way.
They are nice here and accommodating with stellar hospitality.
Even better was the Arugula Salad with shaved parmesan which was excellent.
We asked for Grilled Chicken to be added to it and we must say it is the among the best Grilled Chicken we have had anywhere on salad: it was just the right warm temperature without being too hot or too cold and the chicken quality was also great. They listened and put the dressing on the side.
The water was pleasantly presented and our glass was never empty because they are smart and give you a carafe of water. This doesn't happen everywhere.
There are eight appetizer choices and we chose the Baby Lobster Tails which ravished our palate wonderfully. They are uniquely served escargot style and baked with parsley butter and sprinkled with Sartori grated cheese.
Their flatbreads are superb. We liked the "Howard Beach" best above: Prosciutto, Artichoke Hearts, Basil Pesto (no nuts), Mozzarella and Arugula. This was truly outstanding and our favorite edible of the visit with all ingredients in perfect proportion yielding superstar flavor.
Master and Margarita, below, is exactly what you would expect from Marinara, Mozzarella and Fresh Basil and was a solid performance.
Summer on the Bay was our second favorite edible: Pasta of the week joins Super Lump Crabmeat and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in a light, creamy lemon sauce with a surprising zip that accentuates without being overly dominating. If you are carnivorous, opt for Braised Short Rib which would be perfection on a day like today when it is ridiculously 30somethingF degrees in April! Slowly braised boneless beef rib is a triumph with baby carrots, pearl onions, shiitake over gemelli.
Note that one side of the menu is food and the other side is wine, divided equally among white and red with a worldwide showing. Classic and Unusual are differentiated for both grape colors and red also has a section labeled Interesting. We asked what is the difference between Unusual and Interesting because you know they are getting just the tip of the iceberg of Peachy questions on the very first visit.
Interesting is Known.
Unusual is Unknown.
Red indicates new arrivals.
Blue indicates products from New York State.
Go discover for yourself.
